Dreams Do Come True!

I can't believe it! After several years of crying at birth announcements, bailing out of baby showers and feeling like I was broken, we finally got the phone call we've been waiting years for!

My day started off bright and early. I had an 8:00am doctors appointment in Portland so I had to leave the house at 6:00.  After the two hour drive (dang traffic), I got my blood taken and turned around for the drive home. I thought the 9 days after our transfer took forever, somehow, the 8 hour wait seemed even longer. My dear hubby was still insisting on me staying home and taking it easy, so there I was, on the couch all day surfing through daytime tv (ugh!).  I tried to distract myself with talking to my mom via instant messenger, playing games on the iPad and watching the second season of Private Practice. The later it got, the more the anxiety built up.  By 3:30, I was convinced that they hadn't called yet because they were calling everyone with the good news first. Then my phone rang, at 3:38! Being as I get horrible service in my house (one of the very few drawbacks of living where we do), I jumped up and headed out to our deck.  When Stephanie, the great patient coordinator at Oregon Reproductive Medicine, told me she had "very good news" for me I couldn't believe it! Tears instantly started to flow from my eyes.  My hcg levels were at 178.5 which she said was very good and nice and high. I go back on Monday for a confirmation test and to schedule our first ultra sound!

Whe she told me my hcg level, it really meant nothing to me, all I knew was she said it was positive and I was pregnant!  After researching hcg levels, I found that "high" for a singleton birth is 119!  Could it be true? Are we really going to be blessed with twins?!?! We will have to wait and see. But as of right now, all I know is we are ecstatic! It's been a long road that has strengthened the bond between us and we can't wait to bring our little bundle(s) of joy to the world!

In Less Than 24 Hours.....

Here we are, 8 days after the transfer of our beautiful little embryos.  After being on bed rest for three days after the transfer (1 doctor enforced and 2 hubby enforced), I planned to venture out to get my nails done on Saturday.  (Warning, this is when this may get a little too graphic for some people).  Early Saturday morning I was awakened with a terrible burning/cramping feeling like nothing I had ever imagined. Luckily it only lasted about 5 minutes and was gone. So, I ventured out and got my nails done. I was a good girl and came home and went back to taking it easy.  Sunday morning rolled around and the same burning/cramping happened.  I was really starting to freak out at this point wondering what in the world was going on. Sunday afternoon was date day with my hubby! We had a great day and I was starting to feel really good and very positive. Late that afternoon I started cramping again. This time though it was similar to period cramping. NOT what I was expecting or wanting to experience that's for sure. But again, the cramps only lasted a few minutes. When I got home I instantly started searching the web for cramping related to IVF cycles.  From what I could tell, it seemed to be normal.

Monday night was a rough one, as I was getting ready for bed that night, much to my horror I was spotting. I thought for sure our journey was over (well this round at least). I woke up exhausted Tuesday morning, but luckily with no more spotting. The cramping on the other hand continued off and on. My dear husband begged me to please just take it easy and rest for the next two days before our blood test. I agreed to do so. I figured it's better to be safe than sorry. Fingers (and toes & eyes lol) are crossed for a positive outcome tomorrow. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

The wait....

The dreaded wait between implantation and our first blood test after our IVF cycle could quite possibly turn me into a crazy person!  Tuesday when we arrived for our embryo transfer, I jokingly said to my husband, "I wonder if we'll get to see what our embryos look like?". Imagine my surprise when I was wheeled into the procedure room and up on the monitor above me, there they were! Two beautiful embryos!  When my doctor walked in he exclaimed how beautiful they were as well!  We had started with 27 eggs, 18 were mature enough to move forward with, 11 fertilized after day 1 and by day 5 we had five that had continued to grow.  And there they were, two of the five!  It was so overwhelming to realize after all the years of sadness, longing and tears, that we were one step closer to having our greatest wish and biggest desire come true.

Here I am, three days later, still a couch potato (per the request of my incredible husband), trying to not make myself completely crazy.  I simply cannot wait for the next six days to be over. At the same time, it terrifies me to get that phone call next Thursday. One phone call will either fill my heart or crush it.  However, if there's any truth in the power of prayer, positive thinking and visualizing something to come true, this child (or children) is going to happen. The support I have received from family and friends has been amazing!  My husband has been incredible, we lay on the couch and he rubs my belly at night. We wake up in the morning and he rubs my belly and talks to it!  He's going to be such an amazing father.

So how do I keep myself occupied for the next six days??? Last week I had written about Pinterest and my addiction to it. After that post I did manage to try a few more recipes from it. Both were ridiculously easy and a huge hit with my hubby. The first was honey beer bread and the second was a creamy chicken stuffed in croissant dough!  If you haven't tried any of the things you've pinned yet, don't wait any longer! I am personally looking forward to my husband letting me get up and cook again!